


If Pyrrha Hadn't Died

by crybaby0605



Category: RWBY
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:54:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28234263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crybaby0605/pseuds/crybaby0605
Summary: We all know what happened to Pyrrha Nikos at The Fall of Beacon. But what if things had happened a little differently. Let's say, perhaps, that Ruby had been just a little faster; what if she made it to the roof in time to save everyone's favorite star warrior...
Comments: 11
Kudos: 27





	1. Chapter 1

# Chapter 1

“Ugh, it’s about time,” Nora cheerfully moaned, as she and the rest of her team walked down the dim warmly lit hallway. “Who’s idea was it to walk again?”

Ren spoke, “Well, we did face many obstacles: broken airships, destroyed settlements--”

“Oh, and, you know, all those people and monsters that tried to _murder_ us,” Jaune interrupted.

“We were fine. Only one of us almost died” piped the girl in red, “and we made it. That's all that matters.” She was right. Despite all they had been through, the group held remarkably high spirits as they approached the large double doors at the end of the hall.

“So how much farther to Haven Academy?” Jaune queried.

“We are almost there. I thought I’d take you on the scenic route,” Winter Schnee smoothly crowed, leading the v-formation consisting of her and team JNPR. They had barely recuperated from their travel across Anima. Between Tyrian’s attack and the battle with the Nuckelavee, they were shocked they remained in one piece, apart from Nora’s brush with Tyrian’s poison. Even Winter, through her ice queen demeanor, was warmly relieved to have finally made it to Mistral. After all the trials and dangers they faced to get there, their final arrival at Mistral felt like a triumphant, albeit small, victory for the young warriors. 

Winter opened the doors with a dramatic flare the former Heiress reserved for her best surprises. Her young companions were dumbstruck with the view they were greeted with. The mountainscape spanned miles, and on almost every inch of it people made a symbiotic relationship with the land around them. JNPR gazed at the city, dazzled by the marketplaces.

Stepping in front of the pack, Pyrrah Nikos glided to the end of the platform, “It’s so beautiful.” She, of course, was used to big cities from her training in Argus, but the creativity of how the city was embedded into the mountains was an entirely new concept to her.

“The vendors here will sell you almost anything you can imagine, whether they should or not," Winter explained, "The lower levels are known for high levels of crime, but the higher go the better it gets.”

“And we are going up!” Nora cheered.

~~~

The small party climbed up the levels of the mountain city, absorbing the beautiful scenery, until they finally made it to the top: Haven Academy. They walked up to the entrance, remaining in their loose v formation that began as a joke at Winter’s tight regimentation and accidentally became the default way they approached new situations. 

A tear came to Pyrrah’s eye as they approached the Academy’s entrance

Jaune noticed, “what’s on your mind?” He asked, giving her a slight jab with his elbow

“It’s just, for the first time since the memorial at Beacon, I feel like we’re finally making some headway in our mission.”

The feeling of accomplishment wouldn’t last long, unfortunately. Slowly the group realized how eerily empty the Academy was. This wasn’t right; school may not be in session, but there must be someone here. Right? Slowly the tension built until it was a palpable, invisible mist in the room. But still, the team held their wits, following the lead of the elder Schnee daughter, who kept a firm hand on her sword as she approached the headmaster’s office.

“Keep your guard up,” she warned, “there’s something not right about this. The General told me to expect to be greeted by Professor Lionheart and his staff.”

Winter hesitantly went to knock on Lionheart’s door…

“Ahhhh!” was the only thing that came out of the Elderly Faunus’s mouth when he briskly opened his door to five trained Huntsmen ready to fight. He fell back on the floor.

“Professor Lionheart,” Winter inquired.

“Wh-What what are you people doing here?!?! Trying to give me a heart attack?”

Winter ignored the charge. “Why was no one waiting for us at the entrance?”

The professor paused in confusion, checked his pocket watch, and looked back at the travellers. “What? I-I-I was expecting Qrow---”

"Qrow Branwen is in Vale, protecting Beacon and it’s relic,” Winter interrupted in a tone designed to save time, “I’m Winter Schnee, Lieutenant to General Ironwood, and I was sent in his place to secure the Haven Relic, along with these students.”

The members of JNPR introduced themselves.

“Didn’t Qrow explain this to you in his letter,” Winter cut in once again, “He should’ve told you to expect us.”

“Leonardo Lionheart, at your service,” said the professor, apparently not keeping up with the conversation as quickly as Winter was.

“Where are the other professors?” demanded the Atlas Specialist.

“Most of my staff is away until classes resume.”

“WHAT?” Winter snapped, “Professor Lionheart, what are you thinking? Who's guarding the relic?”

The two adults began a heated argument about the importance of the relic and why the people present weren’t even qualified to know about it as Nora leaned to Pyrrah to ask if this is how she thought this conversation would go?

~~~

“How could you be so reckless as to leave one of the most valuable objects on remnant completely unguarded?” Winter demanded. By now everyone was inside the professor’s office debriefing each other on the developments since the Fall of Beacon. Winter was pacing in front of Lionheart’s desk and staring at the ground, something Team JNPR had by now learned she did only she was truly overcome with stress. “And what about your lack of communication with Ozpin’s circle, even before the attack on Beacon?”

“There was nothing to check in _about_ before the Fall of Beacon, and since that day, Mistral has been in chaos! Vale was not the only kingdom to suffer that night, you know. Every household was watching the tournament, everyone in every kingdom saw that poor girl ripped to pieces…” 

Here was where Pyrrah stopped listening. She barely noticed as Jaune put a hand on her shoulder or that Ren was using all of his strength to keep Nora sitting on the couch. She was back in Amity, standing in front of the mangled pieces that were Penny Polendina. She tried so hard to keep herself away from here, and she rarely succeeded. Every blink brought the image of the bright girl’s maimed parts, her ripped clothes, her sharp swords, her dead eyes. A single silent tear hit the mahogany floor. ‘It wasn’t your fault’ they say, all the time, but it was. It was her semblance that caused Penny to die. Had she gone against anyone else, no one would have been hurt. And to think that they lost even more that night. ‘No,’ she told herself, ‘we have to press on. Not just for the dead, but for the living. Keep going, no matter how much it hurts right now. You'll be okay; things will get better.’ Then she remembered one opportunity to make things better--the very reason she was so determined to get to Mistral.

“What about Cinder?” Pyrrha asked, “She came from Haven with Emerald and Mercury. You must have some information about them, Professor.” 

“We pulled their files after the Fall of Beacon. Nothing but lies and forgeries.”

“But surely those lies revealed something,” Pyrrha responded. Her voice wavered from the usual bright tone that filled everyone with optimism. “They were criminals who managed to waltz into the Vytal Festival representing your school, professor, you must know something, anything, that could help us find them.” She was angry now, something her team had seen only a handful of times, and something that was entirely foreign to Winter. “I’m sorry, but explain to me how _murderers_ are allowed to tear an entire city apart under the guise of your school!”

“Pyrrha,” Ren soothed. Pyrrha turned away and let the tears flow. Nora hugged her and the boys shielded them. 

Professor Lionheart, realizing his mistake, decided he’d done enough damage and quickly ended the conversation. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful. I know you travelled a long way.”

“No, I’m sorry,” Pyrrha sniffled, bringing herself together.

“We’ll keep in touch. Alert us if anything changes with your council,” Winter concluded.

They walked out of the academy. Pyrrha kept to the back, hugging herself.

‘We’ve been here before’ Jaune thought to himself as he moved back to walk with his teammate. “That guy. He was being an ass. Don’t put any thought into what he was saying.”

“Jaune, people have been judging me for as long as I can remember. What matters is that you see me for who I really am. What he said about the tournament doesn’t bother me, but everything else does. How foolish were we to think that our problems would be solved by coming here. So much effort just to come back to square one.”

“I know. Things have been tough, but it’s like you said: we made it here, we’re all alive. That means something even if nothing else is going our way.”

“But we didn’t, Jaune. Not all of us. I destroyed Penny,” the emotion caught her. “And Ruby is dead.” 


	2. The Fall of a Great Warrior

* * *

Pyrrha was tired. So tired. Never had she depleted her aura so thoroughly fighting one person. Perhaps that sounds like some conceited exaggeration, but it was true. Cinder was by far the most powerful opponent Pyrrha had ever faced, and this time there would be no referee calling the match over an aura tap out. Pyrrha had kept herself from being afraid so far, but as the reality of how this would end set in, the unpleasant turning in her stomach rose up through her chest and through her body. Even now, she didn’t fear at all for herself, but for the loved ones she’d never see again.

Pyrrha was a person of many talents and skills, but the one she relied on the most was her ability to hide her real feelings. Cinder would have no idea of how much fear she instilled in the young huntress. Pyrrha was on the ground, unable to stand from her ankle. In the near distance she thought, no she was almost certain, she heard the swishing of the wind, as if something was getting closer.

“It’s unfortunate you were promised a power that was never truly yours.” She lifted Pyrrha’s chin. A distance away something, perhaps a bird, landed on the roof. “But take comfort in knowing that I will use it in ways you could never have imagined.”

Pyrrha pulled away, held her head in pride, and asked the new Fall maiden, “Do you believe in destiny?”

Cinder waited a moment, staring at her, judging her as an opponent and paying the most silent respect to how the young girl was spending her last moments.

“Yes,” was her final reply. Cinder straightened and readied her bow; Pyrrha closed her eyes and steadied herself… 

She felt a rush of wind rush past her. Pyrrha opened her eyes to see Cinder and Ruby fighting. Ruby spinning her scythe round and round, landing precise blows where she could. She made primal sounding screams with every hit. Cinder, clearly taken aback by the new arrival in the ring, made defensive motions. Here, on that rooftop that night, Ruby Rose demonstrated the peak of her skills.

But it wasn’t enough. Cinder found her ground in less than a minute, blocking Ruby’s hits and retaliating with her own. The fight was remarkably fast, and with every blow Rudy grew more and more disoriented while Cinder grew more aggressive. Thanks to a decisive turn-around kick from Cinder, Ruby’s aura broke in less than two minutes. She flew across the roof. Quickly getting to her knees and letting out a frustrated grunt, Ruby grabbed scythe and prepared to charge.

“RUBY NO!” Pyrrha screamed. 

Too late.

Cinder held her right arm forward and summoned a sword in her hand just in time for Ruby to impale herself on it. Her feet hovered a few inches above the floor. Her face flowed from anger to shock to pain seamlessly. Everything was silent. Slowly her eyes turned to Cinder, whose face was cold and steady. The young girl let a few raspy breaths that grew into one scream. Suddenly her eyes flashed. It was like she exploded to a burst of pure light. It enveloped everything. The last thing Pyrrha heard was Cinder screaming.

~~~

Pyrrha awoke to silence. Looking around her, she found Cinder was gone and the Wyvern was… turned to stone. In the corner of her ear she heard coughing and sputtering.

“Ruby!” Pyrrha gasped. She crawled in the direction she heard the small quivers until she found her friend. Part of her wished she didn’t. On the cold floor that was Ozpin’s office lay Ruby in a puddle of her own blood. Her small hands were barely big enough to cover her wound, and the deep red blood spilled out through her fingers. Pyrrha rushed to her side, adding her hands to her abdomen. 

“O-o-okay,” Pyrrha started shakily, “just k-keep y-y-y-your hands t-there.”

“Pyrrha,” Ruby whispered.

“Shhhh-Shhhh-Shh. Don’t speak. Help will come.”

“Yang, Qrow, My team.”

“No, they’re fine, Ruby, you’re what matters right now. It’s gonna be okay.” Here was when Pyrrha started to cry. 

“No!” Ruby croaked. “I need you… to tell them… That I-I--”

“You’ll tell them yourself.” Pyrrha breathed. If she had any interest in her surroundings, she would’ve heard the flutter of feathers.

“Ruby!” came a rusty voice. Qrow Branwen slid to his niece’s side. “What happened?”

“She-huh- Cinder--I,” Pyrrha lost the ability to speak.

“Uncle Qrow,” Ruby coughed.

“He, hey pipsqueak. Hey, listen we’re gonna get you outta here. Don’t talk. We’re gonna get some help.”

Pyrrha sat there, frozen.

“hey kiddo, you’re gonna be fine. Just stay with us. You stay with me.” By now Qrow was cradling her in his lap, the same way he did when she was a baby.

Ruby became more shaky, “Q-Qrow, I-I’m scared.”

“It’s, uh, gonna be okay, Ruby. You’re okay, I’m here.” 

Ruby let herself cling to her uncle. She clung and clung until, slowly, her arms fell limp. Her eyes were open. But there was no life left in her body. For a moment, it was like all of Remnant stopped breathing.

“Ruby?” Qrow whispered. “Ruby?” louder this time, shaking her. “Ruby, stay with me, don’t leave me, don’t you dare leave me.” He started crying harder, doubling over her body, always muttering, “don’t leave me.”

Pyrrha reached her hand over and closed her friend’s eyes. She cried silently, letting Qrow have the brunt of the moment. She lightly whispered, “Ruby.”


	3. The Mountain Peak

“Ruby is dead, because of me.”

“No Pyrrha.” He moved in front of her and held her shoulders. “What happened to Ruby was not your fault. It was Cinder’s. Plain and simple. And Emerald and Mercury and Salem and anyone else who was involved in  _ planning _ the attack at Beacon. That doesn’t include you. You were a hero that night. ”

She’d heard this before, from him and others. She didn’t believe it then and she wouldn’t now. Why? Because she was Pyrrha Nikos. The Invincible Girl; The Pride of Mistral. She trained her entire life to become a huntress, because she wanted to protect people. She championed tournaments, triumphed over impossible odds, been the face of a damn cereal, but the moment it really mattered--the moment she needed to come through and save a life--she just sat there with a broken ankle and a broken sword. She couldn’t save Ruby, one of her dearest friends. And of course there was Penny, the girl she murdered, and it was a murder. Illusion or not, Pyrrha should’ve taken more care over where she moved the swords. It’s just, she was so preoccupied with the maiden powers, and she rarely used her semblance on a large scale because she never needed to, and here she goes making excuses again. It was her fault they were dead. Her fault. It was Pyrrha’s fault. It’s your fault, Pyrrha. Your fault, your fault, Pyrrha’s fault, Pyrrha, Pyrrha, Pyrrha.

“Pyrrha!” Jaune shouted, giving her a small shake. Pyrrha came to attention. She was outside of Haven academy walls. They had just left Lionheart’s office and were heading the house they were staying at. Ren and Nora were next to her and Jaune; Winter was ahead of them, apparently giving them their space. Pyrrha looked at her team, then down at her hands. Shaking. Again. This had to stop. She was no use to the team like this. She couldn’t keep losing control of herself.

“I’m sorry. I know you guys are counting on me to be strong--”

“Pyrrha, this has to stop.” Ren stated. 

“Jaune told us about what you said in Kuroyuri. You’re not being fair to yourself. We loved Ruby and we miss her more then words can say, but we would never want to lose you over her. You’re our teammate, our family.”

“I know I speak for jaune and Nora when I say you’re one of the most valuable people in our lives. Seeing you beat yourself up like this hurt us more than I think you realize.”

Jaune concluded, “Ruby was one of our closest friends, and she was one of the first people who really believed I could be a huntsman. And I think that if she was here, she’d want us to keep moving forward.” 

Pyrrha was crying again. How could she deserve such wonderful people? This whole journey she thought they couldn’t understand her feelings. But maybe she was wrong? She turned to Jaune. “You have to understand, when I went up to that roof, I didn’t expect to come down.” SHe turned her attention to Jaune, “The person who kissed you was so prepared to die. Surviving--being asked to live--just seems so off-script. I just feel like, like she should be here instead of me.”

“I do understand feeling like that.” Jaune said, “and if it helps at all, you’re not the only one who feels guilty. I was the one sent her up there. I told her ‘you have to save Pyrrha.’ I never thought about saving her.”

Pyrrha leaned against Jaune holding Nora’s hand. “You were just trying to help.”

“Exactly. Now you know how we feel.” Nora responded, prompting chuckles from the rest of her team. 

“Come on, let’s catch up to Winter.”

They found her a little ways down the path, leaning her back against the face of the mountain looking out into the city. Due to the nature of her mission, Winter left behind her military uniform in exchange for more discreet garments. She brought her hair down from it’s bun in a half-up-half-down style to keep her bangs out of her face. Her hair fell lightly over her shoulders. She wore a tan trench coat that reached her knees over a white blouse tucked into her Atlas blue pants. She kept her black and red-trimmed heeled boots accenting the outfits were a red ascot and a red belt holding up her pants.

Pyrrha’s outfit had changed too. The most noticeable difference was the brown leather pants she adorned in exchange for her battle skirt. She kept her red sash around the waist though (it was a gift from her mother after all). She gave up some of her armor to make travel easier (the discarded pieces were used to enhance Jaune’s weapons and armor, per her insistence). She still wore gold armor plates on her knees, left shoulder, and  _ heels _ . She also kept her brown and gold shirt, and her hair and headdress remained the same.

In addition, the other members of JNPR added accents of Ruby’s red to their outfits. When she found out where they were going, Yang gave them Ruby’s old hood she used at school to add to their outfits, keeping the one made out of her baby blanket for the family. Beyond this and the adjustments to Jaune’s gear, the boys' outfits remained the same. Nora, however, exchanged her skirt for a pair of navy blue shorts, under which she wore pink tights. Her shirt and jacket remained the same. She brought her hair into a small, messy bun, leaving her bangs to frame her face.

The kids met up with Winter and began the journey down the mountain to the house Winter had rented. They remained silent for a long while, until Jaune asked, “What do we do now?”

“I don’t know.” Winter sighed. Normally, she could turn to the next person up the chain of the command to figure it out, but in this situation, she was that person. This journey had been hard--on all of them--and even though they knew it wouldn’t end here, they certainly didn’t expect the door to be slammed in their face. From what Lionheart said, they would be in Mistral for weeks before they could even start looking for the Spring Maiden, let alone securing the relic. Winter thought long and hard about what their next move could be. She could try to make contact with Argus Military Base; try to update Ironwood and get his input. But she couldn’t do that until tomorrow. She’d been to Mistral once before with Clover and Harriet, and they showed her a fairly nice bar.

“Come on.” she said, “We’re going to get a drink. We all deserve a night to relax.” She glanced behind to find the kids staring at her like they might need to get a doctor to check on her. “Under strict supervision, of course. Don’t get any ideas about some crazy night on the town. We’re still representatives of Atlas and Beacon.” And with that she lifted her chin a notch higher and continued the walk down.

~~~

The Mountain Peak was a bar towards the middle elevation of Mistral, appropriately tailored to the Middle class of the city. The inside sported an industrial aesthetic, which was unusual for Mistral, but not uncommon in the most modern designs. At this time of the evening, the bar was fairly empty, but not so empty that the atmosphere was eerie. It was located on the side of the mountain overlooking a stunning view of the lake, hence the name. It was most popular among Mistral’s more reputable Huntsmen and Huntresses and, when they were in town, Atlas Military officers. 

Winter and JNPR walked in to the smell of cedar wood and alcohol. None of JNPR had ever been in an actual bar. Whether or not they had ever been drunk before is another matter (they were friends with Yang Xiao Long, after all). So it was no surprise that when Winter asked them what they wanted, they all had an answer on the tip of their tongues--Fog Cutter for Nora, Pimm’s Cup for Ren, Strawberry Daiquiri for Jaune, and a simple Beer for Pyrrha. When she walked up to the bar, Winter ordered all of these, as well as an old-fashioned for herself, not noticing the looks the bartenders gave her. She found the teenagers sitting at a round table looking out over the lake. 

“Are you sure it’s okay for us to be in here?” asked Ren. 

“If you kids are old enough to save the world, you’re old enough to have a drink.” Winter coolly responded. “I understand that it feels like we just took a few steps back--my opinion of Haven’s headmaster certainly hasn’t improved. But, I want you to know that the determination this group has shown just to get here,” she glanced at Jaune, “gives me every confidence that we will succeed in this war. Tomorrow we go back to work. But for now, let’s just toast to arriving in Mistral.” They each raised their glasses in a calm celebration. It wasn’t often that Winter spoke from the heart like this, and this made her get along with Ren very well. She actually got along with all of JNPR fairly well. She’d heard the stories about Pyrrha’s skills (mostly from Weiss), but nothing compared to watching her in the field. Nora perhaps got on her nerves, but she won Winter over with her morale boosting enthusiasm. Even on death’s door, she continued to put the well being of her teammates before her own. Jaune was the tricky one. When Winter learned what his fighting ability was after a year in school, she nearly called the whole mission off. She nearly tore through Beacon’s files to find out just how someone of such skill level could possibly make it into Beacon. Then she learned about the forgery. Whatever you do, don’t commit forgery under Winter Schnee’s watch. It took JNPR two weeks to convince her to start traveling with them again, and a promise from Jaune that he would do whatever it took to improve. His tenacity in maintaining that promise is what turned Winter around. Every night he trained with her and Pyrrha, and every night he slowly got stronger. Winter even started teaching him advanced battle strategies she learned at the academy because it interested him. He may not be the most powerful member of their team, but that didn’t keep him from being one of the most valuable (even if he didn’t believe it). Winter was impressed with team JNPR, and it actually wasn’t because of their fighting ability. It was their cohesion as a team, and more importantly as friends. They were all so different, and yet they came together to become a team so full of potential that Winter was secretly beginning to believe they could eventually rival the Ace Ops.

This was, among other things, what Winter mulled as the others talked among themselves about their travels. Nora roped her into the conversation with some question about whether or not they had music in the Military. She smiled to herself; this may not have been her choice of team for this mission, but it was the best team she could’ve had given the circumstances. The travellers spent the evening in the bar. They ordered dinner and a few more rounds, talking about everything and nothing at the same time.

“We should probably get back,” Jaune stated not long after the sun went down.

“Indeed,” Pyrrha said cheerfully, “We’ll need our rest if we’re going to find the Spring Maiden.” 

They left the Mountain Peak in high spirits, walking through the city towards their lodging. But it was dark, the streets were empty, and a Huntsman's or Huntress’s senses are on alert at all times. Ren, who was walking at the back of the pack, felt a presence following them. A little ways behind them in the streets. At first he wasn’t sure, but after a few minutes there was no doubt. He walked up to Winter.

“I know,” she said. She led the team down a dark and private alley, the others catching on almost immediately. They waited until they saw a small figure walk down the alley.  _ He’s not very good at this, _ Jaune thought. He didn’t try to blend in, and he was even  _ talking _ to himself. They watched for Winter’s signal.  _ Now! _ She motioned with her hand.

The team pounced. Ren and Nora pinned him to the wall and Winter, Pyrrha, Jaune pointed their weapons at him from different angles.

“What do you want?” Winter demanded.

“G-gahhh” was the response.

“Why are you following us?” Jaune followed up.

“Ahahhh”

“What do you want?” Ren reasoned.

“Ahhh”

“Do you work for Salem?” Nora shouted.

“Umm”

“Wait,” Pyrrha said, putting her spear down, “Come on guys, he’s just a kid.”

“We’re just kids, Pyrrha.” Nora countered.

“Well, at least give him a chance to speak.”

Jaune and Winter lowered their swords, but Ren and Nora kept him pinned.

“What’s your name?” Pyrrha asked.

The boy was glancing between Ren and Nora, who both wore very serious looks on their faces. “Uhummmm”

The group stared at him. They couldn’t tell if he was harmless or the most powerful foe they’d faced yet.

“Shut up, I’m trying to get there.” He was looking down like he was… talking to himself. “Well,” he started shakily, addressing the group this time, “My name is Oscar Pine, but you all probably know me as… Professor Ozpin. And I’m also supposed to ask for my cane back.”

Blank stares. No one spoke for at least a minute.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Jaune finally asked. “Professor Ozpin died at the Fall of Beacon. And I’m pretty sure he was at least 60.

Oscar looked at all of them one at a time. All of them wore confused faces.  _ I thought you said they’d understand! _

_ I thought they would. This isn’t right.  _

“Did-did they not tell you?” Oscar asked.

“Who didn’t tell us what?” Winter returned.

Oscar was silent while Oz told him what to say. “The reincarnation. Qrow and the General. They didn’t tell you to expect me?”

Nora and Ren finally let him go. Everyone was very confused, but they knew one thing: Work wouldn’t wait til morning after all.


	4. The Remains

##  **Atlas: Four months Ago**

Whitley quietly walked through the halls of the Schnee Manor. He was angry. He had just come from his father’s office, and apparently it was time for him to go away to boarding school. Time to grow up, he said. Enough of the immature pranks. It was just a spilled drink; how were he and Henry supposed to know she was the wife of some investor? Weiss’s performance was the center of the whole event; he just wanted to have some fun for once. He sighed. At least he could stay in Atlas.

“Whitley,” he heard his sister call. What could she want? He turned to see his second eldest sibling standing in the middle of the hallway. She wasn’t looking at him; she was staring out the windows into the gardens.

“Finally out of your room, I see. To what do I owe this pleasure?”

After a moment she glanced at him. “Oh.” Her voice came out in a hollow, half-way-there tone, “I was just wondering how it went with father. I heard you were in trouble.”

“Trouble? I’m not in trouble. Trouble was you suddenly deciding to attend Beacon without asking Father.”

She paused. “I came back, didn’t I?”

 _Seriously,_ Whitley thought, _no snarky comment, no sassy pose, not even an eye roll. What’s wrong with her?_ “Yes, you came back. And you’ve just been little miss perfect princess ever since, haven’t you?”

“I hadn’t noticed.” Weiss replied, still looking at the garden. “Father asked me to his office to discuss the upcoming banquet.” 

_So that’s why she asked about me. To figure out what mood he’s in._ He looked at his forlorn sister. The audacity of her; did she really think she was the only one who was lonely. And she wasn’t helping either of them by locking herself in her room and going into depressive slumps.

 _There must be some way to get to her._ The young boy turned his gears until he landed on one topic: the date. _It’s low, but if it gets her talking._

“Next week is the end of October, isn’t it? The 31st.” Weiss stiffened. Whitley continued, “You didn’t happen to have any plans for Halloween, did you?”

Weiss closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Is there something I can do for you, Whitley?”

Whitley continued to stare at her. She wouldn’t even look at him. She left him here alone and wouldn’t even look at him. His frustrations took over. “What the Hell is wrong with you!” he shouted. “Why don’t you say, do , FEEL something? Anything! Other than being some obedient zombie. This isn’t you! What happened to you at Beacon?”

Weiss sighed. “I really shouldn't keep father waiting,” She said walking past him. “I am the Heiress, after all

~~~

##  **Menagerie: Three Months Ago**

Sun woke up on a couch. That was the first thing he recognized: the couch. Then he saw the decor: wood walls, jade pillars, lots of books, tropical plants. Then he felt the pain: the jabbing burning that rolled like a wave through his side. He groaned heavily. He’d been attacked by the White Fang operative.Then he saw the cat faunus girl sitting on the loveseat, looking down at her lap and twiddling her thumbs.

“Blake?”

“This is why, Sun. This is why I left them.”

“Blake, what happened.”

She suddenly stood up, taking a few steps towards him, “I will not--cannot--watch the people I love get hurt because of me.”

Sun went to speak.

“SHUT UP!” Blake snapped. “Everyone thinks they can help me, but they can’t. Do you think I like this? Do you think I get some kick out of running away from the only people I ever truly loved. Do you think I go a day without thinking about Yang and Weiss? Do you think I go an hour without seeing Ruby’s face? NO. I’m doing this to protect the people who are left. And I hope the people who are left hate me for leaving.”

“Is that why you didn’t go to her funeral? So they would hate you?”

Blake stayed silent, either because she couldn’t speak or refused to address the subject.

“I saw you. In the trees. I watched and waited for you to come out and say hi, but you just sat on that branch. I’m sorry Blake, but I’m gonna need you to explain just how refusing to be there for Yang on the day she buries her sister in any way _protects_ her.”

Blake turned away from him. “I don’t think you quite understand. The White Fang, the organization I fought for, the cause I once believed in with my entire soul, attacked Beacon. People I knew, people I trusted attacked Beacon and now Ruby is dead!”

“You think you’re being selfless, but you’re not. When your friends fight for you, it’s because we want to. You can make your own choices, but you don’t get to make ours. Sure, that friend of yours got me pretty good, but I’d do it again if it meant protecting you.”

“And if you die, Sun! If you die protecting me! Who has to deal with that?”

~~~

##  **The Outskirts of Mistral: Present Day**

The bartender at the JustRite pitstop was used to strange characters. For example, the guy who totally-wasn’t-wasted and totally-wasn’t-a-bandit sitting at the end of the table. He was quite the personality. Then there was the hooded figure at the end of the bar. 

The hood was attached to her dark leather jacket and covered enough of her face so that you wouldn’t see all of it unless she wanted you to. She wore a necklace with a purple gemstone around her neck. Under her jacket she wore a gray tank top. She had blac pants and brown boots to match her jacket. The jacket also had two detachable tails that were brown on the outside and lined with red fabric on the inside. She also sported a strip of red fabric tied around her left knee. 

As the barkeep observed more about her he realized something, “Aren’t you a little young to be drinking?” 

The girl took off her sunglasses, revealing bright, red eyes. “Uhh, just water today, a few of them for the road. It’s _hot_ out.”

“Ahhh, one moment, Miss.”

“Pfftttt, are you telling me _you’re_ too young to drink. You look like a regular Huntress--and a beauty at that.” The man at the other end of the bar bagan to approach her.

“I’m good, thanks pal.”

“Seriously, not too bulky, not too lean. You’re--”

“Just right. Mmmhmmm, like I said I’m good.”

The man… didn’t heed her warning. He continued to approach, almost managing to touch her, when a hand caught his wrist.

But it wasn’t hers. 

“I think the lady has made it clear she’s not interested,” cooed a raspy voice. The man resisted against the grip. “This guy botherin’ you, Firecracker?”

She glanced at the situation. “No bother, Qrow. Just a poor boy too stupid to comprehend the word ‘no.’ Yang kept her focus on the bar.

“Is that so?” Qrow tightened his grip, “Listen bud, I suggest you leave my niece alone right now.” He let go, flinging the drunk man across the room. “Unless you want me to go outside and see how her _father_ feels about this.” The drunk stumbled to his feet, prepared to charge, and then thought better on it, dramatically leaving the bar.

The barkeep, who had been watching, happily set the waters on the counter. “These are on the house. That guy’s been driving me crazy.”

“Thanks, friend,” Qrow replied, placing two bottles of whiskey and some food on the counter. Yang turned her attention to the aisles of food and drinks.

“So, what brings y’all round these parts?”

“We’re, uh, going to a little family reunion. Haven’t had one in years, and we figured it was time to catch up.”

“Qrow,” Yang spoke up, pointing at something on the shelf she was looking at.

“Can’t say this is the most hospitable place to host a get together.” Said the barkeep, “Safer in the Kingdom.”

“Well, we’re not most families,” Qrow explained, adding Yang’s item to his pile. “thanks for the hospitality, friend.”

“Anytime,” the barkeep replied.

Yang and Qrow walked out together to find Taiyang sitting with Zwei, beer in his hand, waiting for the bikes to finish filling up. 

“Anything eventful happen in there?” Tai asked.

“No” Yang quickly responded. Qrow was storing the groceries in Bumblebee’s storage compartment when she grabbed the strawberry vodka he bought for her and cracked it open, immediately taking a swig. Tai gave a look that prompted a shrug from Qrow.

“Come on,” said Qrow,” we have a lot of ground to cover if we’re gonna find my sister.”

“I thought you looked familiar, Branwen.” The trio looked over to find the drunk from the bar. He was leaning against the wall, “I think I could help speed up your search for you.”

Yang stepped in front of Qrow and Tai, stalking slowly up to him. She lifted her hands to remove her hood, revealing her hair--cut short so it reached adjust below her chin. “Is that so?”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case the people who are reading this haven't already gathered, I'm roughly following the timeline of the Original Series for this fanfiction. In other words, I'm rewriting RWBY and making changes that I think would have happened had Pyrrha lived and Ruby died. So, if it feels at all like I'm skipping things or rushing through them, it's just because I don't think that those events would have happened much differently. That's also why I started at the beginning of Volume 5 rather than 4. As it goes on, I'm planning on straying further and further from the original plotline.

##  **Six Months Ago:**

“I don’t envy the officer in charge of this mission.” Then Winter realized how everyone in the room was looking at her, as if that was the one thing they didn’t want her to say. “You’re sending me?”

“We’ve put a lot of thought into this,” Ironwood explained. At his sides were Qrow and Professor Goodwitch. “All of us have been involved in this fight for a long time. Salem knows who we are. But if we send in a fresh face on this particular mission, it’s unlikely you will draw the attention of her forces.”

Winter thought about this—about what they were asking of her—for just a moment. “I accept the mission. But I want to talk to Qrow. Alone.”

The others left, suspiciously eying the two they were leaving behind. Qrow watched the door close and turned to Winter, “what is it?”

“You want me to do this? You want me to take over your lifelong mission for Ozpin?”

“That’s kinda what that whole conversation was about?”

“But why me? Of all the people?”

“First of all, let’s get one thing straight, we aren’t exactly overflowing with options here. Glynda and James need to be at their schools, so It was you or one of the ace ops. And I don’t know the ace ops.”

“But you hate me, Qrow. You destroyed a courtyard proving that.”

“Listen ice queen, don’t get a big head over there. I don’t think about you nearly enough to hate you.” He took a few steps closer as he spoke, “if anything, I actually respect you. You’re a skilled fighter, and anyone can see how hard you’ve worked to get where you are. And best of all, you have good instincts. You’re a perfect balance of the best qualities a Huntress could have, and if there’s anything I hate, it’s that your talents are wasted on being Ironwood’s personal attack dog.”

Winter opened her mouth to defend her mentor, but Qrow carried on, “all of that’s neither here nor there. Whether you’re right for this job is irrelevant; you are the best person we have. And there’s no one else I can trust with this mission.”

“Qrow, this is what Ozpin trusted you with.”

“And I can’t do it anymore. Okay. Is that what you wanted to hear? I just can’t.” His tone carried his usual sarcasm backed by a bitter weight of emotion. “I’m sorry if this is a lot for you to take on, but I just can’t do it anymore. I’ve lost people before, but this… Look, they’re going to need me here now more than ever. I can’t be skipping across Remnant anymore.”

Winter slightly reeled back. She may not have known Qrow well, but there was something about the way he was talking that cast him in a whole new light. She sighed, “tell me what I need to know.”

##  **Present Day:**

Now Winter sat on the couch in the living room with Team JNPR and their new little friend. Qrow didn’t tell her about this. Why? If this boy was telling the truth about his identity, then this would be the most important information about the mission. Why would Qrow keep it from her? And, the question that cut much deeper into Winter, why would General Ironwood keep it from her? 

They had interrogated Oscar all the way back to the house, and between the side conversations he was apparently having with himself and Nora being Nora, all they managed to gather was that he was a Mistralian farmhand who had a voice in his head that told him to come to Haven Academy. 

“You wanna what?” Oscar asked nobody in particular. “Okay, if you think it will make it easier. Just so you all know, he says I’ll still be here. Listening.”

They all sat and watched the small, but complete transformation. Oscar closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Pure visible green energy flowed through him. His eyes glowed gold for just a moment, then turned back to their usual hazel green. But the jarring part was his demeanor; he sat up straighter, crossing his legs, “It is so very good to see you again, students.”

The students jumped back. “W-What just happened?” Jaune asked. He and the others stared at Oscar in disbelief. It couldn’t be.

“Professor Ozpin?” Pyrrha said.

“Correct,” He continued, “And don’t worry: while it is me speaking, Oscar is still fully aware mentally. He’s just… handed over control, so to speak. I understand this is all very confusing.

“And alarming, and perplexing, and bizarre, and just really kinda the hardest thing to believe since Ren told me Santa wasn’t real.” Nora elaborated.

Oscar--or rather Ozpin--chuckled, “It’s wonderful to see you children still have your sense of humor. I promise to explain everything to you. But first, I have some questions of my own that I need you all to answer.”

“Uhhh, are they, like, catching up kind of questions, or is this gonna be a pop quiz?” Jaune asked.

“Heh heh, closer to the first one, Mr. Arc, but I do hope you remember some of your history lectures for later. While I’m very happy to see all of you, I was expecting to find Qrow Branwen. Where is he?”

“Qrow stayed in Patch with Yang and her father.” Pyrrha clarified.

This statement made Ozpin even more confused. _That’s not like him,_ he thought. But there was something about the way she worded it that made it much more grim. “You… mentioned Miss Xiao Long and her father. What about the young Miss Rose?”

A painfully solemn air came over the room.

“Professor, Ruby Rose died at Beacon.” Winter explained. “Qrow chose to stay with his family. He, Glynda, and General Ironwood asked me to take over where Qrow left off.”

Ozpin froze. He closed his eyes and held his head in his hand. Contrary to some opinions, this is what he was truly afraid of. One of his pupils died because he failed. Such a bright soul snuffed out far too early. Like so many times before. 

“I’m sorry. I know you children have been through tremendous hardship. Things I had hoped you would never have to endure. I’m _so_ sorry.” He glanced up, “Especially to you, Miss Nikos.”

Pyrrha looked down at her lap. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“No,” Ozpin said, “It is all my fault. Miss Nikos I asked you to take the powers of a maiden in a way that was not only immoral, I didn't know if it would work. Desperate times may call for desperate measures, but it was wrong of me to force those desperate measures on you."

"Professor, I've thought about this a lot since the Fall, and with all do respect, you didn't force anything on me. You gave me glimpse of what you deal with every day. You gave me a difficult choice. And I made that choice, and if we did it all over again, I wouldn't change my decision. I would just make it sooner." She gave a look to each of her team members to make sure they were on the same page as her. They were not at all happy when they first heard of the ultimatum (as they called it) Ozpin and his team gave her. But Pyrrha stood firm in her decision. But not her decision to become a maiden, rather her decision to devote herself to stopping Salem. They all did.

"You are exceptionally kind, Miss Nikos. I don't deserve it. I have... made more mistakes than anyone who has ever walked the face of Remnant. And that’s no exaggeration. I’m cursed. Or at least, my soul is. Every time I die, I reincarnate. My soul gets transferred into the mind and body of a like-minded individual, and, over a period of time, the two souls merge into one. The Headmaster of Beacon you all met was not my first form. And, as I’m sure you’ve gathered, he wasn’t my last.”

“So,” Ren asked, “Who--What are you?”

“I’m the culmination of countless men who devoted their lives to protecting the People of Remnant. Specifically, from the entity known as Salem. I hope my lieutenants at least filled you in on that part.”

“They did,” Winter reassured. “And the maidens. You seem to be the one thing they forgot to mention.”

“Then I suppose that means you don’t have my cane?”

“Afraid not.” 

“Why would Professor Goodwitch and others keep that from us?” Jaune asked.

“I don’t know.” Ozpin said. “And quite frankly, that can’t matter right now. We must focus on securing Haven’s relic. I presume you all met with Leo.”

Winter filled him in on the situation with Lionheart. She also told him about their journey to get to Haven, with the help of Nora’s more animated storytelling.

“That’s not right.” Ozpin said thoughtfully.

“Yes, he’s acting unforgivably erratic.” Winter lamented.

“I know,” Nora said cheerfully, “But now we can just take lil’ cute boy Ozpin to grumpy Professor Lionheart and set things straight!”

“Uh, please don’t call me that. And I don’t know if revealing my identity is wise at the moment. Leo’s not just acting erratic, he’s ignoring specific instructions I left him in the event something like this happened. Under no circumstances should the Relics be left unguarded.” He thought back to the many occasions he had seen the same signs, “I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I don’t want to rule out any possibilities either.” He turned back to the group, “for now, no one outside this room must know that Oscar and I have paired.”

“Then, how do we proceed?” Pyrrha asked.

“We need to focus on keeping the Relic safe. What you told me about Tyrian shows that Salem’s forces are preparing for something. My guess, they intend to attack Haven and steal the relic before the students and teachers reconvene for the new semester.” Everyone’s thoughts went back to the chaos and carnage that left their beloved school in shambles, realizing that the very same could happen here. “We cannot let the Relic fall into their hands." Oz continued, "Considering our numbers, our best bet for ensuring that is convincing the Spring Maiden to open Haven’s vault so we can retrieve the relic ourselves before Salem’s forces attack the academy. To do that, We must complete two steps. The first is actually finding the Maiden. That job I’ll leave up to Operative Schnee; I trust you have some contacts in the Mistral Government.”

“Well, yes sir, I have some I met through Argus Military Base. I’d have to be a bit discreet about the matter, but I do know some people who might be willing to help us, whether or not the council gave official approval.” She sounded confident, but inside she was wincing at the thought of disrupting the chain of command. However, the importance of keeping the relic away from Salem warranted an exception.

“So, what’s the second step?” Ren asked

“Getting you children into fighting shape. You may not be taking regular classes, but I assure you, your real training has only just begun.” _And yes, that does include you Oscar. You’ll have to get used to using my magic and fighting ability._

_What? Ugh, why does the universe hate me!_

“But professor,” said Nora, “we already know how to fight very well, I’m not sure how much better we can get.”

“It is my belief that no matter what your age or skill level, you are never done growing. For instance,” He suddenly pointed a finger at Nora, “you may pack a powerful punch with your hammer, but your hand to hand combat is at the level of a second grader.” Nora’s whole face turned red (she was a ginger, what did you expect). Ozpin moved on, “Lie Ren, while I deeply admire your pacifism, you’ll need to learn more aggressive tactics if you’re gonna stand a chance against Salem’s minions.”

“He didn’t see him with the Nuckelavee,” Jaune whispered under his breath. Pyrrha giggled.

“Mr. Arc," Oz jumped in with a flourish of his finger," while I’m glad to hear you’ve improved, I'm sad to say that you’ve still yet to unlock your semblance.” Jaune shut up.

“And Miss Nikos, while your skills are virtually unmatched by others your age, you still need to work on using your semblance on a larger scale. No more hiding behind small shifts of your opponents attacks. You have one of the most versatile and powerful semblances here. It's time you started using it.” Pyrrha to note of every word from her old teacher. It was nice to see something from her days at Beacon was back to normal. She noticed how much shorter he was then her (then everyone in the room, actually). Almost normal, at least.


	6. Chapter 6

##  **Haven Academy**

“Are we ready?” Dr. Watts asked as he stepped into Professor Lionheart’s office.

The disheveled headmaster looked up at his handler. He turned away. He kept his head down as they walked down the corridor leading to the meeting space.

“After you,” Watts said when they reached Salem’s orb, shoving the professor forward.

“Y-your grace. Are- are you there?” The red gas swirled inside the black sphere until Salem’s cold face appeared, Cinder Fall standing at her side.

“Leonardo, do you have something to report?”

“Of course, my lady, I wouldn’t waste your time unless it was important.”

“I should hope not.”

“I’m still just so fascinated by this creature,” Watts butted in, “Cinder, dear, are we coming through? Can you see us clearly? Well, as clearly as you can.”  
“Shut up,” the maiden said threateningly. 

“Oh goodie, you’ve recovered.”

“Don’t forget what happened to the girl who did this to me. And she had a defense that you don’t.”

Salem raised her hand, “your report, Leonardo. What is it? Have you found the spring maiden?”

Lionheart stepped forward. “Unfortunately, no, ma’am, b-but we’re getting close! You see, today, Winter Schnee and a small pack of students arrived at Haven today. Apparently Ozpin’s minions sent them. They claim they crossed paths with Tyrian on their journey, presumably while he was looking for the maiden.”

“Was  _ the invincible girl _ with them?” Cinder asked in a tone that bordered on mocking.

“Yes,” Watts cut in, “Miss Nikos was in attendance, as was the rest of her team. Their plan is to find the spring maiden before Tyrian does, though it boggles my mind as to how they knew Tyrian was looking for Spring,” He added a sadistic grin at the end, knowing their dear assassin would surely have to answer some questions after this conversation.

“Do they have any idea where the maiden is?” asked Salem.

“No, ma’am,” Lionheart said proudly. “They seemed at loss for how to find her, but luckily I have--”

“We have a plan to narrow down the search,” Watts smoothly interrupted,    
“I’ve hacked into the Mistral government database, and there seems to have been a series of mysterious weather anomalies that coincide with  _ bandit _ raids.”

“Bandits.” Salem cooed, “Then all we need to do is find their camp, and we’ve found our maiden.”

“Yes ma’am, but you have to hurry--”

Dr. Watts silently chuckled to himself as he watched Lionheart quiver in fear as Salem tormented him.  _ Oh how far the mighty fall. _

“Cinder, you and your team will meet with Dr. Watts and finish finding the Spring Maiden. Once you do, you will convince whichever lowlives that have been housing the maiden that their survival depends on their cooperation. Once you have Spring under control, escort her to the Relic and contact Adam and Hazel. The White Fang was promised the destruction of Haven, and I hate to keep them waiting.”

“Understood.” said Watts.

“Not you, Arthur. Tyrian’s in need of a new tail.”

“What happened to his old one?”

“Guess.”

“The invincible girl. Ha ha, it will be done.”

“Good.” And with that, Watts and Lionheart vanished back into the red cloud inside Salem’s black ball. “You are free to speak your mind,” she said, turning to Cinder.

“I don’t understand, ma’am. Working with bandits. Keeping the Maiden alive. What’s the point? Why are we hiding behind the shadows of a terrorist attack when we’re strong enough to take what we want by force? Let me go after the maiden. With your training, our fight will be over in a heartbeat.”

“Never underestimate the usefulness of others. Take Leonardo. One of Ozpin’s most trusted lieutenants, and yet he was the key to setting our plot at Beacon in motion. You will have the power I promised you, but remember that it comes at a cost. Your power still comes with a weakness, and Ruby Rose may be dead, but that doesn’t mean that no one else can take advantage of that weakness. There is only so much I can do to aid you”

Cinder reflected on her master’s words in understanding. She gave a bow and walked to the exit.

“And Cinder, before you go, inform Tyrian that I wish to have a word with him.” The fall maiden gave one last nod before leaving the room.

Salem stood up from her chair and walked to the altar at the end of the room. She kept her back to the door until she heard the creaking of Tyrian entering the room.

“You, uh, wished to see me, your grace.”

“Did I? Did I ask to see you? But you haven’t left since your return from Mistral. You have nothing new to report to me. Hmmm,” She slowly turned around, “Do you have any idea why I would need to see you?”

“I don’t pretend to understand your glorious will, your grace. I only know that--”

“Silence with your self-serving flattery. I asked you if you knew why I sent for you, because we both know that you do know why.”

“Your grace, I--”

A black magic circle appeared under Tyrian, black tendrils wrapping around him, dragging him down to the ground. He cried out in agony. “I sent you to Mistral to find the spring maiden. You returned to me empty handed, defeated and humiliated by a pack of students led by Ironwood’s puppet. And now I have to hear from our dear Dr. Watts that you’ve been sharing my secrets.”

“My queen, I can explain.”

“Oh, please do! Explain to me how our enemies found out that you were looking for Spring. Did you whimper out the details of your mission after Pyrrha Nikos chopped off your tail?”

“My-my queen, I don’t know how they knew, but I didn’t...”

“Shut up. You are a pathetic liar and an even more pathetic beggar. Rest assured, you will pay for this blunder in ways you can’t even imagine.” A malicious grin came over her face.

##  **White Fang Headquarters:**

“Adam,” Sienna Khan began with a cool and commanding voice. “I’m not going to repeat myself, so I want you to listen when I tell you the the White Fang will not attack Haven Academy”

“High Leader Khan, I am  _ begging _ you--”

“You should beg for forgiveness and nothing else!” Adam stopped talking. Sienna looked down at the young revolutionary. She had given him command of the White Fang Branch in Vale because she believed in his abilities. And he proved himself as a fighter and a leader again and again. No one controlled their troops like Adam did (not even herself). But the attack on Beacon; his involvement with these humans. “The assault you led on Beacon was not the great victory you clearly think it was, and you should be grateful your punishment wasn’t more severe. Over the years you have served our cause with passion, and you have become a symbol for many in our organization, but neither of these things makes you infallible.”

“I was merely trying to follow your example, High Leader.”

“And what example might that be?”

“Strength. Strength and unwavering conviction. The humans have seen that strength now.”

Sienna felt pity for the boy. He had been through so much suffering at the hands of the humans. And he took all that suffering and spat it back at the humans tenfold. That’s what made it so effective. Sienna had even begun to see him as a sort of protege; someone who could carry on the fight she started when she was done. But she wasn’t even close to finished. “I was one of the first to suggest violence where violence was necessary. Peace bred complacency; an acceptance of our place in the world. I will never allow the humans to think that they can continuously push the faunus down without us pushing back. But the destruction of the huntsmen academies crosses a line. Now the people who dismiss the White Fang as nothing but a group of mindless terrorists have more ground to stand on then ever before. You have justified Humanity’s campaign against us, and for what! Empty promises from a group of humans--humans we still know nothing about and come and go as they please. These are not examples of strength, Adam, they are examples of your talents and ambitions being diminished by short-sightedness.”

“If you want to know more about the humans, then why not just ask them yourself. Hazel.”

The 8 foot tall force of nature that was Hazel Rainart stepped through the door. “It took you long enough,” he said, cracking his knuckles.

“What is this?!?” Sienna demanded.

“My apologies, High Leader Khan. I don’t aim to cause trouble.” Hazel said in a disarming voice.

“Adam, you brought a human HERE!”

“You should hear what he has to say.”

“Adam, one more word and I’ll see you executed.”

“Ma’am, please,” Hazel said calmly, “no one needs to die today. All I ask is a moment of your time.”

“The longer you stay here, the more your chances of leaving alive go down.”

Hazel didn’t miss a beat, “If it’s all the same to you, I’ll take those odds.”

Sienna motioned for her guards to stand down, but she continued to stand.

Hazel began, “I know you don’t like me, and you probably never will like me, but you don’t have to like me to get the results you want.”

Sienna stared at them. Did they have any understanding of what she wanted? How could Adam be so blind to fall for their trickery? It was plainly obvious to Sienna that this human had ulterior motives he was trying to achieve through the White Fang. No human helps the Faunus unless it helps themselves somehow. “I want the humans to fear and respect the Faunus, but what you two are proposing is starting a war with the humans. A war that we cannot win.

“That is where you’re wrong.” Adam interrupted.

As Adam continued, Sienna’s anger turned to shock at what her pupil was saying. She was never one to defend the humans, but what Adam was arguing for was a world where the Faunus enslaved the humans. That was unacceptable. It went against everything the White Fang stood for. If Adam wanted to go down this path of destruction, he would do it alone. “I’ve had enough of this conversation. Guards, take them away.” They didn’t move. “I said take them away.”

Adam continued his monologue about taking his ‘rightful’ place as High Leader.  _ The audacity, _ Sienna thought,  _ after everything I’ve done for him, the opportunities I’ve provided, the second chances I’ve given over and over again. _ Soldiers surrounded the room, aiming their guns at Sienna. She looked at Adam, who kept his hand on his katana.

And she started to laugh: a sad hollow laugh, “Oh Adam, I had desperately hoped it wasn’t true.” He looked surprised for the first time. “When I first saw the message, I had hoped it was just the Belladonna daughter trying to get back at you.”

Suddenly Sienna pulled out her chain. She swung it around, taking out the White Fang soldiers on the upper level. She jumped up high into the air, leaping over Adam, Hazel, and the second wave of guards. When she landed, they were all shooting at her, but she moved too fast for them. She ran in a circle, throwing off their aim. She roped her chain around one of the guards’ guns and used it to put more weight in her strikes. Five of her opponents were taken out in seconds. Sienna moved gracefully around the room, flipping and kicking her way around the troops she commanded so recently. More than half of the attackers were down by the time Adam charged her. He shot his sword out, and she used her chain to throw it off course, nailing it in the wall. He threw a punch that she dodged. “Did you really think you could get rid of me so easily, Adam?”

He was panting and grunting, trying to land a hit on Sienna. 

“You do realize that nearly every move you’re using you learned from me, right?” Sienna chuckled. “All of you.” she shouted, “You all owe everything to me!” 

Adam and his minions fought with all their might, but they were fighting to kill; Sienna just had to escape. And she did. She knew the Headquarters like the back of her hands, and she had plenty of escape routes in case they were attacked. 

She never thought she would be attacked by her own people. She made it to her personal escape ship, hearing shouts in the distance. She sighed. She climbed into the cockpit. It was clear she had no friends left in Mistral, and even if she did, she wasn’t willing to risk it. There was only one place left to go; to the people who gave her the warning that saved her life. 

“Menagerie,” she breathed.


End file.
